COLM HAYES is the voice of early morning radio. He can be heard
every morning on FM104's Strawberry Alarm Clock from 7am. He spoke
to JENNY McQUAILE.

You have been presenting the Strawberry Alarm Clock for six years,
is it something you always wanted to do?

I never wanted to go into radio. I studied media in college and
wanted to go into film or television.

How did you get into radio?

Out of a card game. I was losing miserably and I heard an ad on the
radio asking for demo tapes. I bet the guy if I sent in a tape I'd
get a job and I did.

Do you enjoy it?

I love it now, it's a great lifestyle. I look at all my
friends I went to college with and many of them have terrible jobs.

Does rising early affect your social life?

Not at all. I'm up at 5am every morning but I still go out
every night. You have to otherwise you become out of touch with society.

The Strawberry Alarm Clock came up with the song Mick
McCarthy's Baby. Whose idea was it?

It was Jim Jim's idea. He had a dream one night that he heard
the words I'm Mick McCarthy's Baby to music. He was so excited
that he came into work the next day still in his pyjamas.

Did you expect the song to be so successful?

We knew it would be brilliant but we just had to convince our
audience. It was Jim Jim's first idea in years so I knew it had to
be brilliant.

Do people come up to you on the street and sing the song to you?

They don't come up to me but they come up to Jim Jim. One guy
was sitting beside him in mass and started whispering the song into his
ear like a prayer.

Is there anyone special in your life at the moment?

My wife Anne and my two kids are very special to me.

Do you ever find it difficult coming up with new ideas for the
show?

We come up with the ideas between us, we never have a problem with
it. We are never brain dead, sometimes we come up with too many ideas.
Jim mainly gets his from his dreams.

You do your own version of Big Brother on the show, do you follow
the real one?

Yes, religiously. I watch it every day. You have to keep up with it
because a lot of our listeners watch it. We made up a song about Jade to
the tune of She's Always A Woman To Me.

Who do you think will win?

I'm a fan of Alex, I love his voice and Jade, I love her bum.
But I think Kate will win, I love her too. I didn't like any of the
housemates except the ones that are left.

Who has been the maddest guest you have had on?

We had a German doctor on who likes to mistreat animals. He was
broadcasting live from Germany and he was demonstrating how you get a
Doberman away from you if he bites you. He stuck his finger in one of
the dog's orifices and the dog attacked him live on air.

What has been your most embarrassing moment on air?

We were doing an outside broadcast from beside the Royal Veterinary
College while they were doing an autopsy on a horse. The autopsy
broadcast live on air instead and we had a lot of explaining to do.

Have you any ambitions for the future?

I'd like to be a priest or play Premiership football. Really
I'd like to bring the Strawberry Alarm Clock to television or film.
I think it would be good on TV.

CAPTION(S):

RADIO: Colm Hayes

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